1 him as always living at Beersheba or the neighbourhood, at Gerar, or at Lahai-roi, and since it is the exception for him to appear at Hebron, it is probably a simple mistake by which he is represented in one passage as having generally lived there. Let us see what is known of Beersheba. The city "of the Seven-well" on the southern border of the land of the Israelites was an important place, for it was the first resting stage for travellers from Egypt who had crossed the desert and were on their way to Jerusalem by Hebron. When the Israelites had gained possession of this city, they naturally came into frequent contact with strangers there; for to the west of Beersheba lay the land of the Philistines, while to the south and east of its territory lived the Edomites. A sanctuary and a sacred tree stood there. It is not known with certainty under what name the deity was worshipped there; but it is remarkable that in a certain legend, of which we shall speak hereafter, mention is twice made of "the Dread" or "the Terror" of Isaac; and this name agrees very well with the character of all the old Israelite gods, for they were looked upon as stern powers that inspired fear. Isaac is called the ancestor both of Israel and of Edom, and the temple of the Terror of Beersheba was, doubtless, the common sanctuary of the members of these closely-related tribes. There they made their vows before beginning the journey through the wilderness, or brought their thank offerings when they had accomplished it successfully. There, too, they laid aside their quarrels with the Philistines about wells and pastures, and made their treaties with them. 5 The Israelites who settled in Beersheba and the neighbourhood belonged to the tribe of Simeon, but the district was afterwards considered part of Judah, and the Simeonites altogether disappeared. The misfortunes suffered by 1 Genesis xxiv. 62. * See pp. 19, 20, 159. 2 Genesis xxxv. 27. 3 Genesis xxxi. 42, 53. 51 Chronicles iv. 28; Joshua xix. 2. this tribe and the causes of its disappearance are unknown, and we must, therefore, be content with the remark that the inhabitants of this region, the worshippers in the sanctuary at Beersheba, who called themselves the sons of Isaac, lost all their influence and power. The natural consequence was that their worship lost in importance, and that Isaac, although admitted into the series of the patriarchs, took a secondary rank and was so completely overshadowed by Abram, the patriarch of the mighty tribe of Judah, that the saga transferred to him all that had originally been connected with the name of Isaac. The expressions "house of Isaac" in place of "house of Jacob" or "house of Israel," and "high places of Isaac" by the side of "sanctuaries of Israel," do still occur,1 however, and that too in the mouth of Amos-the one prophet who mentions the worship at Beersheba. This prophet lived in the time of Jeroboam II., and we need not be surprised to find him, rather than another, using this name and betraying some knowledge of this ancient worship, for he came from Tekoa, which lies north of Hebron, in that same "South" of which Beersheba was the furthest limit. He must therefore have lived in the midst of these "sons of Isaac." Josiah's reformation probably gave the last blow to the worship at Beersheba, or if it survived this storm, it fell more and more into decay after the fall of Judah, until at last it disappeared. While, for these reasons, Isaac, as preserved in the tradition, is but a lifeless figure, the pictures of his sons, Esau and Jacob, on the other hand, are sketched in very vivid colours, which give them a look of real individuality, and make them far more interesting than their father. 2 Amos v. 5; viii. 14. 1 Amos vii. 16, 9. CHAPTER XXII. JACOB OBTAINS THE BIRTHRIGHT AND HIS FATHER'S BLESSING. GENESIS XXV. 19–34, XXVII. 1–45. ETWEEN the southern end of the Dead Sea and the BETWE Gulf of Elana lies a broad, sandy valley, called the valley of Arabah, along the east side of which stretches a steep range of hills. This is the range of Seir. Its highest peak, Mount Hor, rears itself to nearly five thousand feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea. On the east these mountains touch the plains of Arabia Deserta. The name Seir may mean "rough," "bristling," and it is usually supposed, therefore, to indicate a mountainous and well-wooded district. Between the masses of rock, of which the mountains are largely composed, lie a number of fruitful valleys, with green pastures and rich plough land, and many spots well suited for the cultivation of the vine; but, on the whole, the country is bare, and the western hills especially are said to be very barren and unfruitful. The air is pure, however, and the heat is tempered by cool winds, so that the climate is very healthy. is This mountainous district was inhabited in early times by the Horites, concerning whom we know little but the names of certain of their tribal chiefs.1 The name "Horite often translated "cave-dweller," and though the correctness of this translation is open to doubt, yet the character of the country certainly led its inhabitants to choose dwelling places which would have made the designation quite appropriate; for the district was full of caves, and not only the tombs, but many dwellings for the living, and even public buildings, were hewn out of the rocks. 1 Genesis xxxvi. 20-30. Now these Horites had been conquered by a branch of the Terachites; and even before the time of Moses, accordingly, the mountains of Seir were in the hands of the Edomites, whom the old Israelite stories represent as a mingled race of Terachites, Horites, Canaanites, and Ishmaelites; for this is the meaning of the assertion that Esau, who is expressly called the ancestor of the Edomites,' was the son of Isaac, and was married to Adah, a Hethite, that is a Canaanite," to Aholibamah, a Horite3 (who is elsewhere also called a Canaanite), and to Bashemath, an Ishmaelite.5 Long before the Israelites had obtained fixed abodes the social life of the Edomite tribes was settled and regular, and consequently while "the sons of Israel" were still divided amongst themselves, and were a prey to the surrounding nations because they had not yet succeeded in rising to any national unity, the inhabitants of Seir, so closely related to them, were already governed by kings. In the language of the legend this is expressed by saying that Esau was older than his twin brother Jacob. But this was a mystery to the Israelite, for the elder was also the chief. The eldest son succeeded to the rights of his father, and became his heir and successor. The eldest son was chief of his brothers. Was Edom then Israel's superior ? Impossible ! Jacob, although the younger brother, had obtained the rights of the firstborn. Now, until the time of Saul, the relations between the Edomites and the Israelites were very friendly, and the recollection of their brotherly connection with each other was kept up long afterwards. But as soon as the national unity of Israel was established, the Edomites seem to have grown jealous of the sister nation. At any rate there was 1 Genesis xxxvi. 1, 8, 9, 19, 43. 2 Genesis xxxvi. 2, xxvi. 34. war between the two kingdoms from the time of Saul onward. David conquered the Edomites, and after his death they still remained subject to the kings of Judah, until the days of Ahaz, but not without making repeated efforts to recover their freedom. The higher antiquity of the people of Edom and the higher privileges of that of Israel, the greater fruitfulness of Canaan, as compared with the mountains of Seir, the subjection of the Edomites, and the reluctance with which they bore the yoke of their brothers-all this is referred to in the following legend: When Isaac and Rebekah had been married twenty years, their hearts were gladdened by the birth of their twin sons Esau and Jacob, the only children they ever had. The elder, Esau, received this name, which means "the hairy," because his skin was so extraordinarily shaggy that he looked as if he were all wrapped up in a garment of hair. His character agreed very well with his appearance, for when he grew up he delighted in the wild hunter's life or in wandering through the country far and near. But Jacob, whose name means "the deceiver," was a respectable kind of man, and lived in his tent like a shepherd. Isaac was more attached to Esau, for he was very fond of venison, but Jacob was Rebekah's favourite. One day when Esau came home hungry from the chase, he found Jacob busy with preparations for a meal. Some red-looking lentil porridge that was just ready excited the famished hunter's longing; so he asked for it, somewhat impatiently, and said, "Give me some of that red stuff to drink, for I'm tired!" Seeing that his brother was terribly hungry, Jacob seized the opportunity to demand, as the price of the meal, that Esau should give up his rights as the first-born son to him. His rough brother, longing for |